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puberty

puberty

74 2.8
The time when a young person's body changes and becomes able to have children
  • noun
  • /ˈpjuːbərti/
translation icon : pubertad
  • During puberty, teenagers often face emotional ups and downs due to hormonal changes.
  • reach puberty
  • go through puberty
  • onset of puberty

See, I'm finally going through puberty right now on Wired.

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Examples

  • Like me, Robert was entering puberty, but unlike me, it seemed to agree with him.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She has noticed that her son is becoming more independent as he goes through puberty.

  • So most girls are definitely going through the puberty change earlier.

  • So I started puberty very young.

  • When Illinois children reached puberty, they would go into the woods alone and fast.

    Academic text (2001)
  • So remember how confusing puberty was for you and it lasted for years, right?

  • Male secondary sexual characteristics develop normally in puberty, although the testicles typically are small.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Early signs of puberty are increased activity of sweat glands and the sudden appearance of this.

  • As children approach puberty, they are more sensitive to gender stereotypes as they develop physically.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Many adolescents experience rapid changes in their bodies during puberty.

Synonyms

pubescence
vspuberty
1 8.2

The time when a young person's body changes and becomes able to have children

covers the whole adolescent maturation process rather than just its onset

How Mature

adulthood
61 3.1
puberty
74 2.8
prepuberty
  • Specialized
1 6.6

Surface Forms

puberty singular
puberties plural

Etymology

Puberty comes from the Latin pubertas, from puber meaning 'adult' or 'grown'. So puberty is the time when a child's body becomes an adult body and is able to have children.